Beauty Is As Beauty Does: The 2016 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk

The 2016 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk 4X4.

You may have noticed that we have entered the age of angry comic book styling in the car world. Front ends, which once endeavored to present earnest, friendly "faces", now look like they want---no, intend---to eat you.  And none looks more hungry than the Jeep Cherokee. Even now, three years since the first one rolled onto American roads, the effect is still a bit startling to some.

A Class Of One: 2016 Ford Focus Titanium Hatchback

The 2016 Ford Focus Titanium Hatchback.

You're probably wondering exactly what that headline means..."A Class Of One".  There are a lot of small cars on the market.  But the Ford Focus Titanium is something different---a premium American compact.

The Mid-Size Diesel That Does: The 2016 GMC Canyon 4WD SLT

The 2016 GMC Canyon 4WD SLT.

Until this year, if you wanted a diesel pickup, you wanted a big pickup.  Not just the full-size half ton pickup, mind you, but one of the "Super Duty", "Extra Duty" or "Heavy Duty" 3/4 ton or one ton trucks.  The last GMC pickup I reviewed was one of those---two years ago---a beautiful behemoth Sierra 2500 HD with an as-tested price of $62,525 and an observed fuel economy of 13.4 miles per gallon in a mix of city street and urban freeway driving.

But what if you want less truck, need a lower purchase price and would like more miles per gallon?

The Case For Refinement: The 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.4 GT

The 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.4 GT.

Regular TireKicker readers know us to be a place for unbiased reviews.  We are more tolerant of more pedestrian vehicles than many automotive journalism outlets, because we know those are the cars that the vast majority of Americans buy.  Each vehicle deserves to be judged on its own merit and not compared to something three times its price or built for a completely different purpose.

That's not to say we can't be tough.  There have been some bordering-on-brutal reviews in TireKicker's almost eight years online...and one of the harshest was our review, five years ago, of the 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.  You're encouraged to click the link and read the whole thing, but the short version is we said that Mitsubishi brought a circa 2001 small SUV to market in 2011 and it was going to lose, even when its low price was figured in.

Five years on, it can only be worse, right?

Last Call: The 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan S

The 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan.

If you have always wanted a current-generation Volkswagen Tiguan, congratulations.  You are not a typical person.  The Tiguan was the 21st-best selling small SUV in America for the month of May.  And that is a segment where if you are not in the top four (Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V and Nissan Rogue), you are fighting for scraps.  At number 21, it's more like crumbs.  Seven RAV4s, Escapes, CR-Vs and Rogues each are sold for every Tiguan.

The American Cruiser Returns (Sort Of): The 2016 Buick Cascada

The 2016 Buick Cascada.

Longtime TireKicker readers are aware that I am a sucker for convertibles.  Probably goes back to my earliest memories of car rides with my Uncle Ron, who always bought ragtops.  '53 Corvette, '55 Thunderbird, '60 Thunderbird, '63 Thunderbird (the rare Sports Roadster, no less...only 455 made that year) and finally, because they stopped making Thunderbird convertibles in 1966, a 1969 Mercury Cougar XR-7 convertible.

I only remember the '60, '63 and '69, but rides in those were magical. I was hooked.  And so I was excited to hear that Buick was importing the Opel Cascada.  And now, after two years on the market in Europe, it's here.

No Road? No Problem: The 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road 4X4 Double Cab

The 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road 4X4 Double Cab.

Getting away from the crowd is harder than ever.  Some of the fault no doubt goes to cheap gasoline and the internet revealing what seems to be every secret place on earth, along with GPS to help all of humanity find them.

To truly get away from all those people requires the ability to go where they cannot.  And that is what the 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road 4X4 Double Cab is for.

Next Year's Model Now: The 2017 Chevrolet Volt

The 2017 Chevrolet Volt.

If it seems like just a couple of months since we reviewed the 2016 Chevrolet Volt, that's because it is and we did.  Chevrolet has updated the Volt for 2017 and the new model is making an early debut.

Different Ends of the Same Spectrum: The Lexus RC200t and RC-F

The 2016 Lexus RC200t.

It would be hard to find two more different automobiles of the same make and model than the Lexus RC200t and RC-F.  For while the bodies and interiors are for the most part identically styled, they are widely varied in terms of materials and accessories.

And then there is the 226-horsepower difference.